Sparking igniter for explosive-engines.



No. 736,737. PATENTED AUG. 18, 190.3.

A. A. & D. E. KARCHER. SPARKING IGNITBR FOB. EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLIUATION FILED PEB.12, 1903.

-NO MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Hlm Y W/TNESSES: INVENTORS www f I ATTORNEY.

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No. 736,737. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1903.

y A. A. & D. E. KARCHER.

SPARKING IGNITER FOR EXPLSIVE ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED PEB. 12, 1903.

No MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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No. 736,737. PATENTBD AUG. 18, 190s.

- A. A. L D. E. KARCHER.

SPARKING IGNITER FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1903.

N0 MODEL` 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W/TNESSES- JNVENTORS Cz, Q f ATTORNEY.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFIC `jatented August 18, 1903.

ARTHUR ADELBERT KARCHER AND DOUGIJASS EUGENE KARCHER, OF

YONS, MICHIGAN.

SPARKING IGNITER FOR'EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,737, dated August 18, 1903. Application filed February 12, 1903. Serial No. 143.730. (No model.)

for actuating and controlling the exhaust andA the explosion of gas or gasolene iu the cylinder In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are Views in side elevation and in plan,

respectively, of the entire engine. Fig. 3 is a detailed view in perspective,.on a larger scale, of the means for causing and regulating the spark in the cylinder. Fig. 4 is a side view of the cam which actuates and controls the valve-rod.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the cylinder 1 is secured to the base 2. The main shaft 3, mounted in the bearings 4, is rotated by the cranks 5, pistonrod 6, and trunk-piston 7. Only oneof the two y-wheels 8 is shown. The gear-Wheel 10, mounted upon and rotated by the main shaft 3, meshes into the gear-wheel 11, which rotates the secondary shaft l2, upon which is mounted the cam 24. The secondary shaft 12 rotates in the bearing 20 upon the base 2. The arm 21, integral With the base 2, carries the hanging arm 22, the upper end of which is pivoted freely to the arm 2l and in the lower end of which is mounted the Wheel 23. The arm 21 and hanging arm 22 are omitted in Fig. 2 in order to show the relation of certain other parts more clearly therein. The valve-rod 13 is connected at one end to the hanging arm 22 and at the other to the rockarm 14, which is pivoted upon the support 15. The free end of said rock-arm is adapted to engage the` exhaust-valve 16 in the manner hereinafter set forth. 17 is an intake-valve, and 18 and 19 are the intake and exhaust pipes, respectively. The spring 25 is coiled about the valve-rod 13, being compressed be- .p29 and 9.

lar bend beneath the cylinder 1 and is connected to the catch 31, mounted upon the `36 and carries the L-shaped tongue 38.

lshoulders 40 and 41.

tween the collar formed on the bearing 26 and the collar 27, formed on the end of said valverod.

In Fig. 2 the governor 28 of the ordinary ball type is mounted upon the rod 30 and is actuated from the main shaft 3 by the pulleys The rod 30 passes in a semicircubearing 26. The catch 31 is adapted to engage the collar 32 upon the valve-rod 13 in the manner hereinafter described.

In Fig. 3 the igniter-stein 35 passes through `the side of cylinder 1, being mounted in the bearing 36 and having a semirotary movement therein, as hereinafter more fully explained.

The collar 37 is integral with. the bearing The collar 39is mounted upon and rotates with the igniter-stem 35 and is furnished with the The spring 42 is attached to and compressed between the shoulder 41 and the L-shaped tongue 3S. The collar 43 is attached -to and rotates with the igniter-stem 35. The igniter-catch 44 is mounted upon the igniter-stem 35, fitting into the collar 43 in such manner as to havea limited semirotation in connection therewith. The collar 39 and igniter-catch 44 are connected by the` spring 45, coiled about the igniter-stem 35. One end of the spring 45 is attached to the collar 39 and the other to the igniter-catch 44, as shown in Fig. 3. The end of the igniter-stem 35 Within the cylinder 1 is furnished with the collar 46, having the point 47. The igniter-block 48 is adjustably clamped to the valve-rod 13 by the screws 52 and 61 and is furnished with the catch 49, one end of which is pivoted in the igniterblock by the pin 50 and the other end of which is raised above the face of the igniter-block 48 by the spring 5l. The catch 49 is formed with the projecting tongue 63, the end of which is beveled to engage the head 5S. The head 5S is eccentrically mounted upon the support 59 by means of the set-screw 62 in such manner that said head can be semirotated by means of the handle 60 and fixed in any position relative to the beveled end of tongue 63. The insulated point 33 passes through the head of the cylinder 1, its axis being at right angles to that of the igniterstem 35. Said point is surrounded where it passes through the cylinder-head by the insulation 53. The fixed point 33 and the movable point 47 are thus directly opposite and close to one another. The cap 34, Fig. 3, forms the connection for completing the electric current.

Having described the various parts of our gas or gasolene engine, its mode oi" operation is as follows: The valve-rod 13 actuates both the exhaust-valve 16 and the igniter-stem 35 in the following manner: The expansion of the spring 25 on valve-rod 13 serves to keep the wheel 23, to which said valve-rod is connected by the arm 22, pressed against the cam 24. rlhe latter being rotated bythe gears 10 and 1l serves in conjunction with the spring 25 to impart a to-and-fro stroke to the valve-rod 13. Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that this stroke of valve-rod 13 aotuates exhaust-valve 16 by means of rock-arm 14, exhaust-valve 16 being ot' the ordinary puppet type. The manner in which the stroke of valve-rod 13 actuates the igniter-stem 35 and causes a make-and-break contact between points 33 and 47 is apparent in Fig. 3. The expansive action of spring 42 causes a partial rotation of igniter-stem 35, drawing point 47 away from point 33. As the valverod 13 moves toward the cylinder-head the catch 49 in igniter-block 48 engages the end of igniter-catch 44. As the latter is thus rotated it engages the collar 43, which being integral with the igniter-stem 35 causes a semirotation of ,the igniter-stem, bringing point 47int0 contact with point 33. This establishes a current through said points. As catch 49 continues to move toward the cylinder-head the beveled tip 63 encounters the head 58, under which it slides, thus depressing catch 49 and releasing igniter-catch 44. Thereupon the expansive action of spring 42 operates to semirotate the igniter-stem 35 in the opposite direction. This causes point 47 to recede from point 33, thus breaking the current and causing the spark that ignites the gas or gasolenein the cylinder. The function of spring 45 is to take up in part the suddenness of contact between catch 49 and igniter-catch 44, so that the semirotation of igniter-stem 35 shall not be too rapid, bringing points 33 and 47 gently and rmly into contact. By adjusting the position of eccentric head 58 upon its support 59 the tongue 63 of catch 49 may be released earlier or later in the stroke of valve-rod 13. Thus the instant of sparking the cylinder may be timed as desired in the cycle of the engines operation. Furthermore, this adjustment may be eected while the engine is running. The governor 28 should be so adjusted as to disengage catch 31 from collar 32 when the engine is running at the desired speed.

Should this speed be exceeded, the governor moves over the rod 30 and catch 31 until the latter engages the collar 32 at the end of valve-rods (13) stroke toward the cylinder head. This holds open the exhaust-port 16 and checks the action of the firing mechanism until the speed has been reduced to normal, when the action of the governor automatically disengages catch 31. The action of valve-rod 13 in actuating both exhaustvalve and igniter-stem is due to the form of cam 24. ln Fig. 4 the contour of said cam has been divided into four sections, each section representing a different successive movement or position of the valve-rod. The cam rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. .4. At point 54 the exhaust-valve closes and from 54 to 55 vapor is being drawn into the cylinder, the valve-rod meanwhile moving toward the main shaft. From 55 to 56 the valve-rod moves toward the cylinderhead, and at 56 the igniter-stem is actuated, igniting the vapor. From 56 to 57 the valverod remains motionless during expansion. From 57 to 54 the valve-rod is moved still farther on toward the cylinder-head, actuating the exhaustvalve through the rock-arm 14, Fig. 2. Thus each of the four sections of cam 24 corresponds in succession to one of the four cycles of the engine. For an engine of the single-acting four-cycle compression type the gears 10 and 11 should be so proportioned as to secure one revolution of gear l1 and cam 24 to two revolutions of gear 10.

In Fig. 2 the exhaust-valve 16 is provided with a strong spring and the intake-valve 17 with a weaker one, so that the forward charging stroke of the piston actuates only the in-` take-valve 17. Both valves are of the puppet type, and the arrangement of the exhaust and intake valve ports within the cylinder may be of any Well-known form.

What we claim as our invention, and de'- sire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination in a gas-engine, the valverod 13 and means for actuating and controlling the stroke of said valve-rod, said means consisting of the cam 24 rotated by the gears 10 and 11, the arm 21, the hanging arm 22, the wheel 23 and spring 25, the fixed point 33, the igniter-stem 35 and means whereby the stroke of said valve-rod semirotates said igniter-stem into a make-and-break contact with the fixed point 33, said means consisting of the igniter-block 48 adj ustably mounted upon said valve-rod, the catch 49 pivotally mounted upon said igniter-block and furnished with the spring 51 and beveled tongue 63, the adjustable head or wheel 58 IOC IIO

eccentrically mounted upon its base 59 and I adapted to engage and depress the beveled tongue 63, the U-shaped collar 39 integral with said igniter-stem 35 and furnished with the shoulders 40 and 41, the tongue 38 integral with the bearing wherein said igniterstem is mounted, and the spring 52, said colwww lar 39, tongue 88 and spring 42 constituting In testimony whereof We affix our signa,- the means whereby said igniter-stem is semitures in presence of two Witnesses.

rotated out of contact with the xed point 33,

the catch 44, spr-ing 4:5 and shouldered ool- 5 lar 48, adapted to maintain said catch 44 in l contact with the catch 49 during part of the Witnesses: stroke of said Valve-rod, substantially as and LEON D. SHERWOOD, for the purposes set forth. VICTOR F. UPTON. 

